Page 70 of A Sinner's Truth

Drew really is making an effort. I’ve talked to him about my feelings for Santo, and how we have decided to make our relationship real. Drew said it was never fake and I was fooling myself to think it was. He also said he could tell from the start that Santo was into me a lot more than as just a friend.

As Drew talks about his upcoming trip to Europe, I try my best to be excited for him and to keep up with the conversation. My mind, however, keeps slipping back to Santo. We just exchanged rings. It feels so much more real now. Who would have thought something as simple as a piece of jewellery would make me feel more married? I also can’t stop looking at it. It’s stunning.

“You know it’s not going anywhere?” Drew asks me.

“Huh?” I look up at him.

“The ring, it’s not going anywhere.” He laughs.

“It’s never fucking coming off,” Santo grunts.

“I’m allowed to admire pretty things,” I tell them both.

“You are,” Santo says. “I’m going to spend my life buying you all the pretty shit to admire, darling.”

“You don’t need to buy me anything. I have you and that’s all I need.” I press my lips against his.

“Okay, you two are sickeningly sweet and I’m about to throw up in my mouth.” Drew’s face screws up in disgust.

“Don’t be jealous. You’ll find some brainless blind woman who will love you one day.” I laugh.

“Don’t jinx me, Aria. I’m going to be the eternal bachelor. One vagina forever sounds like fucking hell.” Drew shakes his head. He really is a good person. He’s just a little… slutty.

I lift a shoulder. “It’ll happen, and when it does, I can’t wait to laugh in your face and sayI told you so.”

“If that happens, just shoot me. I know you want to anyway,” Drew tells Santo, who smiles in return.

“If that happens, you’re not going to want to miss a single second of life with that person,” he says while looking at me.

“Okay, let’s change the subject. This talk of forever is getting a little too doom and gloom for me. Did you two find a house yet?” Drew asks.

“Not yet,” I answer him. “But we’re going to look again. Why? Are you kicking me out of the apartment?”

“How can I kick you out of an apartment you own?” Drew questions, and I stare at him, confused.

“What?”

“You own the deed to the apartment, Aria. The papers were signed over a month ago. You didn’t know?” Drew looks from me to Santo.

“What did you do?” I ask my husband, knowing full well he did something.

“I didn’t do anything.Youbought an apartment.” Santo shrugs.

“You meanyoubought an apartment in my name?” I correct him.

“Same thing.” Santo smiles at me. That smile is bloody lethal. It sends little tingles of pleasure straight to my core.

“Not the same thing. That’s a lot of money, Santo,” I scold him.

“You can afford it.” He chuckles.

“In what world can I afford that? Did you forget the part about how my father went through all of his wealth? I’ve inherited debt,” I groan. I plan on selling Swan Enterprises, considering it would be impossible for me to dig the company out of the red now.

“You are far from broke, darling. You just haven’t checked your bank balance in a while. Besides, I told you I wasn’t having another man pay for an apartment for my wife,” Santo says.

“I need to go to the bathroom.” I stand up and Santo stands with me. “Don’t even think of following me,” I hiss at him while I point to where the door is located. “It’s right there.”

Drew pushes up from his chair. “I’m getting another round. You two can kiss and sort it out, because I hate when mum and dad fight.”

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